


being as yet but a girl

by tasteslikemiso



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-05
Updated: 2010-08-05
Packaged: 2017-12-13 22:44:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/829729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tasteslikemiso/pseuds/tasteslikemiso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was a mecha-princess and mistress of darkness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	being as yet but a girl

**Author's Note:**

>  For [](http://massivecrisis.livejournal.com/profile)[**massivecrisis**](http://massivecrisis.livejournal.com/)'s request "knight in shining armor". It ended up being a little bit IchiTatsuHime, hope you don't mind. Title from the September 3, 2005 prompt for [](http://31-days.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://31-days.livejournal.com/)**31_days**. Also inspired by Orihime's "My Future Self" art project in chapter 17 and her confusion of a princess and a dominatrix in episode 169. Set pre-series.

Orihime's dreams were surprisingly mundane. She dreamed about boring things like being in class, doing the dishes, or walking home from school. But maybe this wasn't so surprising, because what she envisioned during the day was much more vivid.

This week, there was one particular fantasy that she liked to recall while she was running in gym, watching Tatsuki-chan's flushed cheeks as her legs cut fluidly through the air. Or when she was at her desk, looking at Kurosaki-kun's hair as he scratched the back of his head while answering a question.

She loved them, she concluded before slipping into her black leather dress (with lots of ruffles and handy pockets for lasers and cookies and other useful things) because this time she would be the princess, and the princess had to make her subjects obey. She stifled a giggle. Last time, Tatsuki-chan had been the princess except her dress had fewer ruffles. Kurosaki-kun's had more.

Since she was the princess, she would have to behave accordingly. She tried to be cruel but the closest she got was slightly indignant, as she sent all her meals away and deemed them unfit for royal consumption. (Later she arranged for the underprivileged children with only one hovercraft and hardly any caviar spoons to have the food as fuel so they could explore the other planet-kingdoms.)

She was somewhat eager for the knight to appear, before she gasped and hoped she hadn't already missed him. Maybe he was the pink footstool or one of the horses in the stables or the cook she'd just been so rude to! She examined the footstool and curried the horses and apologized to the cook but none of them were what she was looking for.

Undeterred, she pulled on her flight boots, brought her very best laser Harry (in case there was trouble) and her second-best stethoscope John (he insisted on going and she wasn't in the mood to argue), and set off to see her people. Life in her kingdom was quite prosperous and the round city square seemed to be almost completely rebuilt from the time the merpeople had accidentally sent their giant ambassador up through the fountain and caused quite a plumbing catastrophe. In the end, Orihime had pulled him out with her bare hands and resolved to practice her Squiddish and visit their palace for future negotiations.

She waved to the men who bowed as she passed and offered kind words to a street vendor who embarrassingly enough had his cabbage on backwards and was missing the rutabaga entirely. She paused when she saw a beautiful young mechanic, presumably working on her ship, for she was holding a wrench in one hand and her cutoff overalls were covered in grease and glitter.

The girl's eyes were sharp and she seemed to have identified the problem with the engine, which was currently scowling at her and making unpleasant huffing noises. Once she was certain, she began to sing, softly at first, and then louder, to encourage a response. The grumpy machine seemed to hum melodically; her clear, strong voice reverberated in Orihime's chest. She had found the knight.

She reached to touch her on the shoulder but all of a sudden, she was the one being shaken (she was probably under attack by nanobots taking over her body; they never did much harm but they tickled something fierce). She was startled from her reverie.

"You seemed kind of spaced out," the girl offered by way of apology, curt tone belying the concern in her eyes (sharp, Orihime thought, dreamily).

"Tatsuki-chan," she said, and smiled.


End file.
